2000
#14,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,869
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Sicard
A French occupational surname referring to a reaper or mower, derived from the Old French "sicart" meaning "to cut."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,072 Americans carry the last name Sicard. That puts it at #15,577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sicard surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,422
Census rank
#15,577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,807 bearers of the surname Sicard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sicard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sicard
The surname SICARD has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "sicard," which referred to a type of dagger or knife. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was skilled with such a weapon or used it as part of their profession.
The earliest recorded instances of the SICARD name can be found in various historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in regions like Languedoc and Provence in southern France. One notable example is a mention of a Bertrand SICARD in a charter from the year 1194.
In the 14th century, the SICARD name appears in the records of the city of Montpellier, where several individuals bearing this surname held positions of importance. Among them was Guillaume SICARD, a wealthy merchant who lived from around 1320 to 1385.
During the Renaissance period, the SICARD family produced a notable figure in the form of François SICARD (1548-1624), a Catholic theologian and author who served as the Bishop of Auxerre. His works on theology and ecclesiastical history were widely renowned in his time.
In the 18th century, a branch of the SICARD family settled in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti), where they became influential landowners and plantation owners. One prominent member of this lineage was François-Dominique SICARD (1738-1809), who served as the principal of the Institution Nationale des Sourds-Muets in Paris, making significant contributions to the education of the deaf.
Another noteworthy individual with the SICARD surname was Jean-Baptiste SICARD (1809-1891), a French archaeologist and historian who conducted extensive research on ancient Roman ruins and authored several works on the subject, including his seminal book "Les Monuments Antiques de la Numidie" (The Ancient Monuments of Numidia).
Over the centuries, the SICARD name has also been found in various spellings, such as Sicart, Sicard, Sicarde, and Sicardt, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences across different parts of France and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sicard
Among Census respondents with the surname Sicard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sicard bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sicard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.3% · 1,342
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 190
- Black or African American8.0% · 145
- Two or more races5.3% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sicard
Sicard appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,947
+78 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 543 places
2020
#15,577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,807
-140 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,604 | 1,869 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,147 | 1,947 | 0.66 | +78 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 543 places |
| 2020 | #15,577 | 1,807 | 0.60 | -140 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 430 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sicard surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,147 | #15,577 | -2.8% |
| Count | 1,947 | 1,807 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.60 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sicard bearers went from 1,947 to 1,807 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 430 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,147 to #15,577.
FAQ
Sicard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sicard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,072 living Americans carry the surname Sicard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,422 residents.
How common is Sicard?
Sicard ranks #15,577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,807 people with the surname Sicard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sicard.
Has Sicard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sicard went from 1,947 recorded bearers to 1,807. That is a decrease of 140 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,147 to #15,577.
What does the Census say about the background of Sicard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sicard, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Black (8.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sicard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (1,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sicard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.3%), Hispanic (10.5%), Black (8.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sicard (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sicard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a reaper or mower, derived from the Old French "sicart" meaning "to cut." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sicard (0.60 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Sicard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.